For Your Eyes Only

Thus far, the Roger Moore era has been a series of good-ish films that either feel a little too silly, or are just somewhat poorly constructed.

Then - sandwiched somewhat awkwardly in the middle - is The Spy Who Loved Me, my favorite James Bond film thus far on this journey. 

What the Roger Moore era has lacked thus far though is a "great" Bond film that, while it may not be at the forefront of everyone's "best" Bonds, stands up well as an espionage thriller. 

Enter For Your Eyes Only, which is probably the film that comes closest to matching the tone of Connery's second, From Russia With Love. It has a heavier focus on twists and turns, international espionage, and feels more grounded in reality than most of the series before. I imagine by the end of all this that my ranking of it will be middle or above-middle, that doesn't diminish the fact I enjoyed this return to semi-realism in a series that featured a guy with a metal mouth who comically could/would not die in the previous film. It's not necessarily a special James Bond, and I have my issues with it, but it's easily the "best" Moore-era Bond thus far, outside of the 10/10 "Instant Classic" I gave The Spy Who Loved Me.

What I appreciated the most about this James Bond film was the return to an espionage-based plot. What do I mean by that? Specifically, I mean that there's more focus on the players in the game, who's who, the chess pieces on the board, and the stakes involved. It's less about some grandiose plan to take over the world with a very clear-cut good vs. evil outlay...instead these are smaller stakes with sub-missions within the overall mission to unravel the mystery. It feels more in line with what I imagine the novels are and, having just read one of the newer ones (being helmed by talented author Anthony Horowitz these days), I can say there were a lot of similarities between the two mediums.

In 2021, Bond would be in big trouble for destroying this coral to save his life!

For Your Eyes Only probably tries to do a little too much with its plot, but not by much, as it comes in around the 2 hour mark. In it, Bond is attempting to retrieve a missile guidance system, before it is sold to the Soviets and meets various players along the way whose alliances may not be as they seem. There are some really annoying diversions in For Your Eyes Only - a figure skater Bibi Dahl is probably the most useless and annoying character since Sheriff Pepper (UGH!) - and her portions could have been cut completely, actually making the film more streamlined and less annoying. But by and large, the plot unfolds logically, with some thrilling setpieces, and our core cast of characters is strong. Carole Bouquet as Bond girl Melina Havelock shows Bibi how it's done by killing a man with a crossbow in her first scene (and being distractingly gorgeous otherwise). Her acting isn't the best, but her character is engaging as she's out for revenge and she's got solid chemistry with Bond. Topol as Milos Columbo is an intriguing character than Bond eventually partners with and probably one of Bond's best allies thus far. Julian Glover's villain, Aristotle Kristatos leaves something to be desired as he's not all that menacing or effective, but that doesn't end up being a problem until much later. 

The aforementioned setpieces are entertaining, if just degrees shy of the series' best. We open with a helicopter scene that is thrilling exciting and VERY weird because it seems to suggest that Bond just killed Blofeld once and for all. Through some side research, I found this was a jab at the whole Thunderball controversy where Blofeld is a copyrighted element, so...while entertaining, it feels out of place in an otherwise serious movie. But the helicopter flying is damn impressive! Additionally we have what I like to call the "Winter Olympics" sequence where Bond and henchman Erich Kriegler interrupt a variety of winter sports as they ski down a mountain. It's yet another Moore-era nod to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. There are others, but I found the ending scenes at a monastery atop a cliff to be particularly thrilling as Bond scales the side of the cliff and the scenery around it is incredible.

"You mean I have to climb that m****r f****r?!?"

Thanks to the change in directors, John Glen this time around, For Your Eyes Only feels like a better made film than its semi-janky predecessor. The editing is much better, as is the pacing, and while it doesn't hold up as well as The Spy Who Loved Me, it feels much more "modern" than Moonraker, which felt like a half step backward in that regard.

In general, For Your Eyes Only was a refreshing change of pace for the Bond series, at least as someone who has watched these films back to back for several months now. It's the "most serious" Bond film since From Russia with Love (or maybe On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and I generally tend to like my spy movies a little more serious which is probably why I'm such a big fan of the Daniel Craig era. As I can tell Moore is getting up there in age, it'll be interesting to see where these next couple Bond films go...

CONS

• An exciting but odd opening sequence. Not only do we see Bond at Tracy's grave (the only mention of her thus far I believe) but then it kills off "Blofeld" with ease...what!?
• Bibi Dahl is an awful character and a stain on the film because it doesn't need her at all
• Nothing reaches "incredible" levels of quality (i.e. action, cinematography, story)
• Forgettable villain(s)

PROS

• Moore continues to be an excellent Bond. Not much else to say, but he fills the role well
• Engaging cast of side characters (on the good guy's side)
• Story takes a step back from zany/weird aspects and instead is a tale of spy craft and espionage. It's a refreshing change of pace for the series and the most distinct feature of the film
• Good/great cinematography, editing, and pacing. Use of music was decent too
• Exciting setpieces throughout. None of them are series' "highs" but they all get the job done
• Humorous ending that is hamming it up, but still quite funny
• Entertaining throughout, with a higher degree of realism than its predecessors, proving Bond can be enjoyable without going to space or chasing a man with a metal mouth

Retro Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10